Brent touched on designing for WordPress and faced quite a challenge – facing an audiences with diverse knowledge, experience and expectations. He touched on some good ideas and I have the pleasure of sitting at home in my own time, relating to his talk.

Are you a Driver or a Mechanic?

I believe that in order to relate to the topic of designing for WordPress the first question you need to ask yourself is “Do you want to be a blogger or a designer… or maybe both?”. It’s kind of like asking “Do you want to be a driver or a car mechanic…. or maybe both?”. The skills, tools and discipline required for the two tasks are very different. Designing for WordPress often comes across as simple – because so many people are playing around with it – but there’s really nothing simple about it. Just to give you an example..

Photoshop

Someone asked Brent about modifying a theme’s Photoshop file. Even a “simple” task like replacing a header image assumes at least the following technical proficiencies:

• Getting Photoshop (pretty expensive for non-professionals) … or finding a suitable alternative.
• Learning the Photoshop basics … it’s a powerful program but not very intuitive … the initial learning curve is demanding.
• Learning to work with layers
• Learning to work with guides and selection tools
• Learning about saving graphic formats for the web
• Learning how to insert your header image into a theme

… and that’s the bare minimum and that list doesn’t cover anything having to do with the aesthetic and functional aspects of design.

Expression& Content

I believe that websites are all about content. Expressing yourself is a huge thing – it’s about asking yourself “Who is ‘myself’? What do I want to say? Why do I want to say these things? To whom do I want to say them?”. Blogging, writing for the web is a technical expression of a personal journey – and it is an art and a skill in it’s own right. WordPress is very much in tune with all these things – spiritually and technically.

… in fact I believe that the Internet is dominated by and gravitating towards personal expression. So much so that if you’re thinking of, or someone is trying to convince you to put up a website with just a few static page – that its most likely a waste of your time, attention and money. If you put up a few static pages and expect someone to find you through Google you are mistaken. No one will find you because:

1. There are probably zillions like you and no way (for people or for search engines) to tell you apart from the rest.
2. You can’t use keywords to cheat the system, because lot’s of others have tried that, search engines picked up on it and … it simply doesn’t work anymore = don’t waste even more money on search engine optimization con-artists who will promise to magically lift your dead-in-the-water website up in the ranking of search engines.
3. There are probably a few people who are making an effort to express themselves in your area of expertise (with a very good chance they are are using WordPress to do it) – and they will be found on search engine results and by people looking for you!

This sets the table for a deeper look into what design can be … and instead of making it a tedious academic lecture… let’s use another example Brent put out for us. ..

Dishwasher Guy

If all dishwasher guy wants to do is get more customers – then instead of creating a static dead-in-the-water website he should list himself in some local online directories , place a few more adds in local papers, hand out a few more magnets for people to place on their refrigerators (or dish washers?)…

On the other hand a website creates many new interesting opportunities. What can a dishwasher guy possible write about:

• What can you do to keep your dishwasher working and in good condition?
• What cleaning materials are recommended or should be avoided?
• Are there eco-friendly materials thaht can be used? What if they don’t get the stains out?
• How to use the dishwaser effectively? Should dishes be accumulated?
• How about the quality of the water – does that affect the dishwasher lifespan? Would a filter onthe main pipe help?
• How did dishwashers begin? What did the first one look like? What is the future of dishwashers?
• How to buy a dishwasher? What should we look for?
• Are there recommended dishwashers? Product reviews? What do other people have to say?
• Where is a good place to get a dishwasher?

And amazingly, the list goes on and on and on… even for a dishwaser technician… if she cares and is willing to take on the formidable task of writing for the web!

This, to me, is what designing a WordPress site is all about. It is about finding a way to express yourself – it is a wonderous undertaking, and there is so much more to it then choosing a header image, colors and fonts. A superficial, beautifully designed website with nothing interesting to say will last a few seconds. A consistently updated site with sincere & curious content will be captivating and keep people coming back, almost regardless of it’s visual design.

Maybe this is what people like Merlin Mann are talking about when they say find your niche – even dishwashers have a niche:

I recall some months ago I was preparing a salad for breakfast. I was peeling (and later seeded) a pair of cucumbers – and as I was doing that I thought to myself ‘Why am I peeling the cucumbers?’. Of course, there is a ‘logical’ answer – since we can’t afford organic vegetables we prefer to remove any potential traces of insecticide which, we assume, concentrate in the peels and in the watery center. But then it hit me that this recurring act of peeling is actually an internal movement of doubt – doubt in the intentions and methods used by the farmers that grow my food. Doubt had become an unconscious yet constant part of my nourishment.

Shakuhachi

Also some months my wish for a new Shakuhachi came true – and a semi-professional flute entered my life. The purpose of this flute was to open a door to studying with a teacher. I was under the impression that a more fine-tuned instrument is required for formal studies. Indeed shortly after it arrived I found a teacher who is kind and generous and fulfills my indulgence for a lesson once in a while.

During the first lesson my teacher attempted to assess the quality of tuning of the flute – which is difficult to do over Skype. Getting a correct pitch in Shakuhachi is a challenge – it depends on the tuning of the flute, on breathing technique, the embouchure (shape) of the lips .. and on the weather (bamboo changes pitch in varying temperature and humidity conditions). Knowing the flute enables my teacher to better guide me (or maybe more importantly not misguide me) in my playing. I was left with a doubt about the tuning of the flute. Doubt, again, this time in Shakuhachi, an instrument I took on as a part of my meditative practices.

Faith

All of my attempts to dispel my doubts regarding the tuning of my Shakuhachi failed and led to unpleasantness. I questioned the maker (who’s life work made it possible for me to hold a Shakuhachi). I resented my teacher (for causing me to question myself and the maker). I pushed myself too hard to play better, to prove that the flute is in tune and that I can play in tune, which ultimately inhibited my playing – and left me with even more doubts … until … a recollection of an incident during a lesson in my Yoga teachers training course rescued me.

We were studying Ayurveda. Our group included numerous students who had come from a background of modern alternative-medicine studies. My teacher indicated at the beginning of the lesson that some of the ideas he will be introducing may strike some of us as counter-intuitive to what we already know and believe. He suggested that we refrain from dissecting and judging the teachings, that we take them with us as a complimentary perspective to what we already know, and that only after we’ve lived them for a few years, we indulge in evaluating their truths and relevancy to our lives as practitioners and teachers. Ironically, a few minutes later, some of the soon-to-be Yoga teachers railed out against the teachings that were offered.

I applied this lesson to my Shakuhachi predicament. I decided to embrace my Shakuhachi settings, including my instrument, it’s maker, my teacher and myself. I decided that I would take a few years before making any observations or coming to any conclusions. This choice has replaced my doubts with faith. It has fostered a softer setting in which I can explore and fluctuate in my relationship with Shakuhachi.

As for cucumbers… it’s getting better but I still haven’t achieved peace. I have been asking myself why I don’t trust farmers in my society… and though I have strong intuitions I have not yet found or formulated clear answers that I can put in writing. But inquiring into the matter has brought farmers and farming in my soceity closer to my mind and heart. I am more in touch with the things I have in common with them and therefore able to experience more sympathy for them and for their choices. Sometimes I go crazy and refrain from peeling or seeding (sometimes both!!) my cucumbers.

Wait, Just Wait

In my consciousness there is an instinct associated with doubt, and it’s programmed to ‘go out and find who’s responsible … and fix it!’. It’s a stubborn instinct (as instincts will be)… and it’s pointless. Instead, waiting, patiently and softly, usually creates a window of opportunity for my attention to move inward, and given time, magical occurs: pushing morphs into embracing and the disturbing energy of doubt becomes a soothing energy of faith.

Headstand provides a popular image for Yoga – it stands out. It providers an easily accessible metaphor for a fresh perspective on life. For many people it is a challenging posture – and when it’s finally conquered it can bring a gratifying sense of achievement.

Beyond it’s obvious physical qualities, headstand posture has energetic qualities and it can be used to affect the body’s energy system. These energetic qualities are available in additional more accessible postures that provide less distraction and enable a practitioner to go deeper and experience more subtle qualities in practice. They are much less “sensational” and it takes persistence and patience to sense and appreciate them. They require intricate breath work and lead to meditative places.

Following is a quote (source Wikipedia) from 1957 attributed to Ben Gurion:

“Why should the Arabs make peace? If I was an Arab leader I would never make terms with Israel. That is natural: we have taken their country … There has been anti-Semitism, the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz, but was that their fault? They only see one thing: we have come here and stolen their country. Why should they accept that? They may perhaps forget in one or two generations’ time, but for the moment there is no chance. So it is simple: we have to stay strong and maintain a powerful army.”

Ben Gurion made his mark on life in a time of extremism – a conflicted birth of a conflicted country from a conflicted background in a conflicted world. A country that exemplifies and in which manifests one of the most powerful forces of friction on the planet – a conflict between east & west, between established religion and fmodern politics, between tradition and free thought. An extremism that I feel almost every where around me in Israel, and as the years go bye seems to be insinuating itself all over the world.

I don’t know what Ben Gurion’s Yoga practice was like, but I wonder if instead of doing headstands and making them famous he would have have practiced and made famous forward seated bends with long and quality breath. Would he have made different decisions and planted different seeds in Israeli society, culture & politics? If he was instead famous for inhaling 12 seconds, holding his breath for 12 seconds, exhaling for 12 seconds and holding his breath for another 12 seconds – what effect that would have had on Israeli society? What if this would have fostered amongst popular Israeli traits, things like patience, attention and respect?

If Ben Gurion’s teacher was Desikachar or even Krishnamacharya and he practiced more Pranayama, could that have made a different world for us today?

… oh and I am selling my CD collection: http://bit.ly/9zAD6Y please have a look and pass it on #

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It is possible to intensify this cycle by introducing breathing formulas into Asana. To do this you must first have an established relationship with:

• Asana – you need to have a well defined and rooted physical practice before introducing another dimension of physical and consciousness effort.
• Ujjayi – ujjayi should be an inseparable part of your asana practice.
• Pranayama – you need to be familiar and comfortable with your breathing capacity and with structured breath formulas.

The first meeting between breathing formulas and asana should occur in familiar and comfortable settings:

• Breath length – choose an inhale length (your basic breathing duration) that is less then what you use in your Pranayama practice. If in Pranayama you use an 8 second inhale then in Asana start with 6 seconds.
• Breath formula – start with an equal inhale and exhale and with a 1 second pause after inhale and exhale to allow for a controlled and smooth transition. For example, if your inhale is 6 seconds your breathing formula in asana would be 6.1.6.1
• Asana – start with simple and accessible Asana, introduction of the breath is a worthy challenge, don’t overdo it by choosing difficult or challenging asana. If you have a personal practice that is gradual and balanced then it is probably best to start with the first set of postures.

This meeting of structured breath and asana can be a rich experience. You may find that each asana leads to a different experience. Some asana may seem connected and flowing with the breath, others may lead to friction. Different asana will challenge different parts of the breath – some asana may be aligned with inhaling and others with exhaling. Remember to retain a healthy relationship between breath and movement – the breath is a home to movement, movement takes place inside the breath. Adjusting breath to movement will probably lead to over-exertion, friction and tension -  the breath will “run-out”. On the other hand, adjusting movement to breath is fairly simple and may at most lead to some friction with the ego.

Practicing Asana with structured breathing may take some getting-used-to and it will intensify the development of the breath. When it becomes an established part of your practice you will have gained access to the alchemy of energy in Yoga.

If you wanted to blog 10 or 15 years ago it would have required a lot of horsing around – you had to build your own web pages in HTML and Google were still playing around trying to get search working properly. Website developers were trying to figure out what search engines were trying to do and to build their web-pages accordingly – to make their pages attractive to the search engines. Things have changed since then, a lot.

Search Engines

The one most important thing you need to know about search engines (such as Google) is that they are constantly trying to improve their search capabilities. They are striving to provide us with the best possible results for internet searching. They do this by constantly scanning and cataloging all the information they can get their hands on and then trying to find the best matches when we all enter our search phrases. It’s a straightforward challenge and effort. They are constantly working to improve it.

WordPress

Instead of manually building web pages we now have WordPress which creates quality, search-engine compatible web-pages. A lot of knowledge, care and effort is required to make good web-pages that are clear for search engines. There’s much more to web-pages then meets the eye. But the great news is that you don’t need to know all the details. WordPress developers have done (and continue to do) a wonderful job at taking care of all that for you – so you don’t need to worry about it. You can simply type in your content and WordPress will create web-pages that are optimized for web standards and search engines.

Search Engine Optimization

When search engines were trying to figure out web-searching, web professional were trying to figure out search engines.

When search engines used keywords to improve their search results – web professional figured that out. All of a sudden everyone was running around trying to figure out how to add keywords to web-pages, which keywords to use, what keywords were people likely to search, how was Google using keywords to rank it’s results … and on and on. Once web-professional figured out the rules of the keyword game they  became search engine optimization (SEO) professionals. They began offering keyword based promotion services to give you an edge over other sites and bloggers in search results.

In the end Google realized that people were using keywords promotion to cheat their way into search results in high rankings so, though many people have hard time believing it, Google stopped using keywords to rank search results!!! So now the only way to actually make a “keyword” impact search results it to actually use “key words” in your writing – and guess what – if you are doing sincere and quality writing you are already doing this – no special effort is required

Keywords are just one example. So called “Search Engine Optimization Professionals” constantly try to figure out new ways to manipulate search results, while search engines constantly try to weed out their manipulations so that they deliver REAL quality search results.

You

You don’t need to worry about search engine optimization or page-ranks. You need to stay away from SEO professionals.

You need to publish your writing using a modern and updated version of WordPress.

You need to WRITE – express yourself, focus on consistent, sincere, passionate and quality writing. If you don’t know how – then that is where you should be focusing your attention and efforts.

At the heart of the image is a strong current with clear direction. It describes my path through life. Being in this flow is exhilarating. It is obviously present when I am teaching Yoga or when I am creating.

Then just outside this strong core current, there is a weaker current. It’s still in the right direction, though not as strong. This feels more like my day to day life – sometimes it shines forth, other times I need to remember to look and appreciate what’s before me.

Then there is another current which is similar in quality, it is mostly in the right direction but it is not clear and focused – so it tends pull slightly away  from the core currents. This feels like situations in which I am distracted, preoccupied or a bit tired.

If I notice that I am distracted or tired I can do something about it. I can get some rest, watch a movie, pull some weeds around the house, there are many options. But if I don’t notice it or fail to do something about it – I experience a messy current. It is inconsistent, sometimes even moving in the wrong direction. It’s very difficult for me to navigate through this – it’s as if the steering doesn’t work.

If things get really messy and out of control (which fortunately doesn’t happen much) – then I find myself in a chaotic turbulence. It’s really an unpleasant experience.

I recall a story (I read in “The 5th Discipline”) about a man whose canoe flipped in turbulent waters. He fought and struggled to get free from the currents but he failed, drowned and died. Shortly after, his body surfaced near by. Apparently, had he surrendered to the currents, instead of fighting them, he had a good chance of making out alive. This story must have impressed me to have stayed with me for so long (I read the book 7 or 8 years ago) and I take it’s lesson to heart.

Yoga taught me surrender. In retrospect I can see it in many elements of my practice, though it was not as apparent to me when I received these teachings. Bending the knees has a quality of surrendering to limitations of my physical body. Moving inside breath is a constant surrender of physical aspirations to make room for subtle developments of the breath. Practicing softly inside my limits rather then pushing through them is another great quality of surrender. It goes on and on. When surrender in the body is practiced continuously it eventually affects mind as well.

I believe that surrender in mind and body enabled me to experience my first sensations of a path – of a central current that is guiding me, even when I am not aware of it or actively resisting it. I learned to have faith in a path and in my commitment to it. This prepared me for my encounters with art, photography and dance where I was gifted with many opportunities to dive head first into the water and experience bliss.

I believe that surrender is a great, and often times an only, key to releasing myself from raging currents and flowing back into a steady, peaceful and embracing core current, for finding my way out of confusion and into clarity. Surrender is not giving up, but rather about giving in, it is not a random  act of cowardice but rather a directed act of faith.

After-thoughts

As I drew the currents in the image I recognized additional qualities which hadn’t occurred to me before:

• Most of the currents are moving in the direction of life.
• Misdirecting currents are generally weaker then the core life currents.
• Misdirecting currents sometimes flow in direction of the core life currents.
• Misdirecting currents are always in contact with currents that flow better, therefore it is just a matter of time before we get pulled into a better flow.
• All currents are connected and flow forward together with the core current, therefore even when we are in a disturbed and chaotic current, moving in what feels like an opposite direction, we are still moving forward in life.
• No matter what we do, what we feel, what we perceive – we are in an embrace of flowing life.

]]> http://www.iamronen.com/2010/02/life-currents/feed/ 0 http://www.iamronen.com/2010/02/ten-bears/ http://www.iamronen.com/2010/02/ten-bears/#comments Sun, 28 Feb 2010 12:57:26 +0000 iamronen http://www.iamronen.com/?p=3285 A speech given in 1867 by a Ten Bears a Comanche chief:

There are things which you have said to me which I do not like. They were not sweet like sugar, but biter like gourds. You said that you wanted to put us upon a reservation, to build us houses and to make us Medicine lodges. I do not want them.

I was born on the prairie, where the wind blew free, and there was nothing to break the light of the sun. I was born where there were no enclosures, and where everything drew a free breath. I want to die there, and not within walls. I know every stream and every wood between the Rio Grande and the Arkansas. I have hunted and lived over in that country. I lived like my fathers before me, and like them I lived happily.

When I was at Washington, the Great Father told me that all the Comanche land was ours, and that no one should hinder us in living upon it. So why do you ask us to leave the rivers, and the sun, and the wind, and live in houses? Do not ask us to give up the buffalo for the sheep. The young men have heard talk of this and it has made them sad and angry. Do not speak of it any more. I love to carry out the talk I get from the Great Father. When I get goods and presents, I and my people feel glad since it shows that he holds us in his eye. If the Texans had kept out of my country, there might have been peace. But that which you now say we must live on is too small.

The Texans have taken away the places where the grass grew the thickest and the timber was the best. Had we kept that, we might have done this thing you ask. But it is too late. The white man has the country which we loved and we only wish to wander on the prairie until we die. Any good thing you say to me shall not be forgotten. I shall carry it as near to my heart as my children and it shall be as often on my tongue as the name of the Great Spirit. I want no blood upon my land to stain the grass. I want it all clear and pure, and I wish it so, that all who go through among my people may find peace when they come in, and leave it when they go out.

(taken from “Lila: An Inquiry Into Morals” by Robert Pirsig)

@ronenk לרגע קטן ביאסת אותי, אבל זה עבר, אז סבבה in reply to ronenk #

@ronenk ההזמנה הייתה אלייך יש לי ספק אם יש כאלה כל שני וחמישי, אכן "אלתור" שחוק … בצורה לא איכותית… זה מה יש in reply to ronenk #

@ronenk אוף…. מחכה כבר לעזוב את הארץ… זהו חזרתי לבשל אטריות מוקפצות ולאכול טוב טוב !! in reply to ronenk #

@ronen זו רק הייתה תזכורת בשבילי כבר לא מנסה לבודד שום דבר… אנא אל תצטער… אוהב אותך כמו שאתה #

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Bob Dylan
The Best of Volume1
The Best of Volume2 (2cd)
Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid

David Gray
White Ladder
Lost Songs 95 – 98
Life in Slow Motion

Jimi Henderix – Experience Hendrix, the best of Jimi Hendrix

John Lee Hooker – Boom Boom

Bruce Hornsby – Harbor Lights

Chris Isaak
Always Got Tonight
Baja Sessions
Speak of the Devil
Forever Blue
San Francisco Days
Wicked Game

Mick Jagger – Wandering Spirit

Billy Joel
The River of Dreams (single)
The Stranger
An Innocent Man
Piano Man
Kohlept (live in Russia)

Shawn Mullins – Soul’s Core

Mark Knopfler
One Take Radio Sessions
Shangri-la
The Ragpicker’s Dream
Screenplaying
Sailing to Philadelphia
Cal – Movie Soundtrack

Elton John
Love Songs
Two Rooms – Celebrating the songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin